


The Contract

by a_q



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-05 23:50:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5394863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_q/pseuds/a_q
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lack of a marriage contract between Fili and Ori turns out to be a slight issue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Contract

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oneringtorulethem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneringtorulethem/gifts).



The household staff had build up the fire and turned down the bed, ready for the night. The lamp wicks were turned low and there was a glass of mulled wine cooling on Ori's desk and a cheerful humming coming from the bathroom.  
  
“Did you have a good day?” Fili called, taking off his coat and leaving it on the chair. His assistant had helped him undress most of the outer gear off, and they had took them to be cleaned and polished for tomorrow. Ori's clothes were nowhere to be seen, so his assistant must've done the same. They had an agreement that the work was left outside the bedroom, and somehow that had started to include their coats and boots too, and in Fili's case his weapons.  
  
“There was an understanding on the need for the educational reform, so that's half the win, I don't think I'm needed to oversee the discussion any more,” Ori said, his voice muffled by the heavy curtain separating the bathroom from the bedroom. “And Dori said he made a mistake with his schedule, so he can't meet me for lunch tomorrow. I basically have a free day, want to do something?”  
  
Fili unbuckled his belt and placed them on the desk. “Wait, you too? My assistant said the guild heads wanted to reschedule, so there's nothing else for tomorrow.”  
  
“How did that happen?”  
  
Fili started to wonder the same. Mother had been oddly evasive for last few days, and Balin had been working on some project that he refused to show him. That didn't add up to anything good.  
  
“I suspect there might be some scheming involved from our dear family,” Fili said. “Though I have no idea what they might be planning.”  
  
Ori pushed the curtain aside, holding a chewing stick in his hand. “Think your mother has finally caught on?”  
  
During the first winter in Erebor, much everything that had been made of wood had been used for firewood. The raw material was easier to get these days, but Ori had liked their temporary curtain and it had stayed. Ori said it made the room more homely, which might be true. Fili had a vague recollection that mother had had a similar curtain in the house in Ered Luin.  
  
“Caught on with what?”  
  
“That there isn't an official marriage contract between our families? It's a month until Durin's Day, she tends to bring up the matter around this time. Haven't you noticed? All the little comments how it was a shame that her first-born got married without her knowledge, and then she praises me for a moment so not to insul Dori, and then she asks your uncle and Bilbo to tell the story again how our marriage happened.”

“Fine, she does that, but it doesn't mean she would bother herself with the contract.”  
  
“You must be joking. I'm ready to bet that she asked to see the contract when she arrived here. In all honesty, I'm surprised your mother waited this long before taking the matters to her own hands,” Ori said, going back in the bathroom. He came back with his bathrobe one, tying the belt around his waist. They had identical ones, a gift from Bilbo's birthday party.  
  
“We've been married for three years now, why did she wait this long to bring the contract up again? I don't think it is about that. Maybe it's just a coincidence we have some free time to spent together. I'm not going to say no to that,” Fili went over to kiss Ori and went past him to the bathroom to wash his face. The bathroom was full of steam, smelling like Ori's soap.    
  
“I don't know. Maybe they aren't planning anything yet, but usually we have to schedule weeks in advantage if we want to spent the afternoon outside, and now it happens just like that?” Ori pondered out loud, not sounding very convinced with Fili's point.  
  
Fili dried his face and hands, taking off his shirt and socks, leaving them on top of Ori's clothes. The staff would see them all washed. He went back to the bedroom and found Ori sitting on the bed, feet under covers and sipping his mulled wine.  
  
“Do you want me to order you dinner?” Ori asked.  
  
“No thank you, I'm fine. Unless you want something?”  
  
“There's sandwiches and scones on the tray. Bilbo send them over after tea. I'll have some of them.”  
  
Fili went to pour himself a glass of mulled wine, kept warm in the pewter pitcher on the fire side table. He didn't care much for the wine hot and spiced like this, but it was Ori's favorite treat after a long day. Fili took his glass and sat down on the bed next to Ori, leaning his back against the headrest with a sigh. It was good to be home.  
  
“Now that I think about it, if they plan to draft a marriage contract, that would explain what Dori brought up when I had tea with him yesterday,” Ori said after a moment of quiet. “I didn't think much of it at the time.”  
  
“What did he say?”  
  
“He said something about working with your mother, but I couldn't get any details out of him. He kept brushing my questions aside, but he couldn't hide how excited he was about it. I just thought it might be something for your uncle and Bilbo.”

“Do you think they would start drafting the damn contract behind our backs?” Fili asked, sipping the wine carefully.  
  
There was no marriage contract, mostly because they both had thought those were ancient and useless tradition, and second, they had been battlefield married, what could possibly mean more than that? Still, it would be just like mother to not let the matter rest.  
  
Which was hilarious, considering that she never had a marriage contract to mention, and neither did Thorin and Bilbo. Fili highly doubted Kili would agree on one either, Tauriel even less.  
  
Which might explain why mother would get hung up on his marriage.  
  
“You don't need the couple's opinion, not officially,” Ori said. “All you need is a family representative on both sides, someone to write it all down and someone to add a seal on it. So your mother, my brother, Balin to write it, and your uncle to officiate it?”  
  
“Think they can write it up in a day? Not to sound rude, but your brother against my mother? That will be a formidable battle,” Fili said, his thoughts brightening. “They might not bring it up with us for years.”  
  
“And even better if your uncle has to act as the mediator between those two,” Ori said and laughed. “They will have to bury the whole notion within a week.”  
  
“I drink to that,” Fili said and clinked the edge of his glass to Ori's. They sat in a comfortable silence for awhile longer, and then Fili got a worrisome idea.  
  
“Though we might be looking this the wrong way around,” he said. “Mother might have used her time to wrestle Dori to agree with her on most of the points, and the contract might be ready to be signed. Maybe that's what tomorrow is all about? She might have been working on it for the last three years.”  
  
“No. Without telling you?”  
  
Fili glanced at Ori. “You've met her. Do you put it past her?”  
  
Ori considered his words and looked suddenly bit pale. “Oh dear.”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
“But Dori couldn't keep it a secret from me for that long,” Ori said. “Nori would find out straight away and he would tell me. He wouldn't let me be surprised like that.”  
  
“Yes, but Nori wasn't against the marriage contract in the first place, remember? He didn't bring it up again, but at the time he tried to cajole Balin to write at least something down, in case... Something happened." Fili took another sip of the wine. He didn't like to remember the battle, not that he had any clear memories of it after the fall. "Dwalin told me about it when he had had bit too much that Bilbo's moonshine back in the first spring.”

“We'll have to get married all over again,” Ori whispered, looking stunned. “Your mother was so hurt that we went behind her back, it's a damn sure she had insisted on a public wedding ceremony in the contract. And Dori would go with it, because he's always wanted to host a grand wedding for me. Oh no. No no.”  
  
“Someone more insecure might take it hat you don't want to marry me?”    
  
“I am married to you already, I don't understand what difference does it make to put on some fancy clothes and standing in front of the crowd to say vows we have already made!”  
  
“Now you fight the shadows,” Fili said, reaching to rest his hand against the back of Ori's neck. It usually calmed him down if he was upset. “You don't know what they have talked about, and Dori has your back, that's not something to overlook. He knows you wouldn't like a big ceremony. He might insist that you get a crown or two, though.”  
  
Ori snorted a laughter. “Just like your uncle will insist you get a crown or two, don't overlook that point.”  
  
Fili faked a fainting spell against Ori's shoulder and Ori laughed again, relaxing under his touch.  
  
“No, but in all seriousness darling, let them write a contract and let's be done with it,” Fili said. “I don't want your fortune and if you want mine you're welcome to it. Besides that, what else there is to agree on?”  
  
“Actually, I don't know. I haven't seen a royal marriage contract. Unless your mother had one, the last one signed by Ereborean royalty was the one for your grandparents had,” Ori said, his expression turning thoughtful. “Maybe I should look through the archives, see if there is some of those contracts that have survived. It wouldn't hurt to prepare, would it?”  
  
“Only if you promise you won't use our day off to do that,” Fili said, turning his best begging look on Ori. He smiled and reached to kiss him.  “No, but please?" Fili continued when Ori sat back. "Think about it, when will be the next chance of something like this happening? I don't care about the reason, I just want to spent time with you. Alone.”  
  
“We are alone right now,” Ori mused, his smile turning a touch more wicked. “I'm having wine in bed, blame yourself if you can't see a way to fit yourself into this picture.”

”Maybe we should do some negations of our own,” Fili suggested, leaning to set the glass aside and   then pulling Ori closer to his side. ”Can't trust others to do the most important part for us.”  
  
”What's that?” Ori asked, curious. Fili plucked the glass from his hand and set it aside next to his own.  
  
“Let me show you,” Fili said and  leaned to kiss his neck, the specific spot behind Ori's ear that always made him gasp in a delicious manner. ”It's the clause about the marital relations.”  
  
”I see,” Ori said, turning his head in a silent urge to keep him going. Fili obliged, pecking a few kisses down his neck, ending to his collarbone. Fili gave it a careful nip, not enough to leave a mark. ”And what is your opening offer?” Ori asked, shifting to his side and smoothing his hand along Fili's side.  
  
”I'm sure I can offer satisfactory performance in my duties,” Fili said, mirroring Ori's touch and slipping his hand underneath the bathrobe, touching his warm skin. “So sure in fact that we can write it down in our contract.”  
  
”Confident offer,” Ori muttered. ”I'll take a note of it. I would like to suggest an addition of my own in this clause.”  
  
“I'm listening,” Fili said and continued to pry Ori free from his robe.  
  
“Husband should serve occasional breakfast in bed, preferably shirtless.”  
  
Fili looked up and smirked. “Bold move this early in the talks, I like your strategy.”  
  
“I like to open strong, you know that.”  
  
“I do,” Fili said and went back to kissing a trail along his collarbone.  
  
“What's your counter offer?” Ori asked, his breathing getting quicker. Fili smiled against his skin and pushed the bathrobe away from his shoulder.  
  
“Frequent,” he kissed Ori's chest, “unscheduled,” he moved further down, “declarations of love.”  
  
“Oh, agreed, yes,” Ori said, clutching his arm. “Keep going.”  
  
“Would you like a demonstration?” Fili teased, looking up.  
  
“Please.”  
  
“I love you, husband,” Fili said low, kissing the words on his skin. “Love you, now and forever.”  
  
“I'll hold you to that,” Ori said, looking at him in the eyes. “I love you too, more than anything.”  
  
Fili smiled and kissed his stomach, moving slightly to get a better advantage. “See, that's how easy it is to get a draft under way.”  
  
Ori started to laugh. “I hope your mother and Dori will stay away from these sort of negotiations.”  
  
Fili groaned, the image too disturbing for what he was aiming to do with his kisses. “Next clause, husband is adviced not to bring up our family during the love making, on the grounds it spoils the mood of the other husband.”  
  
Ori laughed harder, his finger brushing through Fili's hair, and nudging him to move on with his work. “Agreed. Husband may continue his demonstration now.”  
  
“Gladly,” Fili said and went on to kiss his husband so throughly, that Ori had no worries left by the time he was done. 


End file.
